Ink reservoir and flow control



Oct. 5, 1954 w 2,690,739

INK RESERVOIR AND FLOW CONTROL Filed Jan. 21, 1953 BY M Patented Got. 5,195 4 D STAT NT OFFICE INK RESERVOIR AND FLOW CONTROL Norman E. Weigel,Mountainside, N. J.

Application JanuaryZl, 1953, Serial No. 332,256

(ill. 120--51) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to fountain pens and more particularly to a newand useful improvement in a nib construction therefor.

In ordinary fountain pens, the ink flows by gravity or capillary actionfrom the ink reservoir directly to the tip of the nib and on to thewriting surface, the flow being initiated by a pumping action or flexingof the tip of the nib. However, air pressure, air bubbles or a vacuum inthe feed line, usually interferes with the smooth, even flow of the ink,causing a heavy flow of ink or the interruption or the complete stoppageof the flow, whereby the ink continues to build up or back up on thewriting surface. This results in a. heavy line of ink and in wastage ofink. Such heavy lines take time to dry or necessitate blotting, and thewastage makes it necessary to replenish the supply of ink too often.Furthermore, when using such gravity feed fountain pens, there is a timelapse after the pen is put in writing position before the ink reachesthe tip of the nib, which is objectionable.

It is the prime object of the present invention to eliminate suchobjections and difficulties by providing a fountain pen with means forchanging the feed of the ink from a gravity or capillary action feed toa controlled feed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a fountain pen with anauxiliary ink reservoir or well adjacent the tip of the nib so that feedby gravity or by capillary action is unnecessary and is eliminatedwhereby air pressure, air bub bles or a vacuum cannot interfere with thefeed of the ink to the writing tip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen with a mainink reservoir, an auxiliary ink reservoir or well adjacent the tip ofthe nib, and means for guiding the flow of ink from the main to theauxiliary reservoir.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen with areservoir of ink adjacent the writing tip so that when the pen is tiltedon the writing surface for writing, the nib is inked for instantaneouswriting, and flexing of the tip of the nib to start the flow by gravityor capillary action is not required.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen withan auxiliary ink reservoir adjacent the tip of the nib so that when thepen is tilted on the writing surface for writing, the flow of ink isinitiated by the weight of the ink itself so that the ink is continuallyin readiness, and flows instantly when and only as needed.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen with aninking device on the nib 2 whereby a steady, smooth and even flow of inkis supplied to the writing tip, thus eliminating flooding of the tip orinterruption of the flow of ink thereto such as might cause blotting orskipping in writing.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing and to the appended claims in which the variousnovel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a fountain pen embodying the now favoredembodiment of the invention, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the nib end of the fountain pen showingthe nib and feedbar in top plan view and the feed section of the pen inhorizontal section.

Figure 3 is a similar view but showing the nib. feed bar and feedsection in vertical section.

Figure l is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the nib in bottomplan view and the feed section in horizontal section, parts being brokenaway and parts being omitted.

Figure 5 is an enlarged top perspective view of the auxiliary inkreservoir or well.

Figure 6 is an enlarged bottom perspective view thereof.

Figure '7 is a perspective detail view of the guidebar.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line *88 ofFigure 2.

For the purpose of illustrating the principle of the invention, I haveshown the pen nib in conjunction with a known type of fountain pen whichincludes a barrel l and a removably tubular section 2 at one endthereof. The tubular section 2 is formed with an integral extension 3fitted into the open end of the barrel. An ink sac or the like 4 isconnected to the end of the extension and serves as a main inkreservoir. The tubular section 2 is formed with a central longitudinalopening 5 extending therethrough and an ink feed bar 6 is fitted intosaid opening. The feed bar is provided with the usual longitudinal inkfeed channel I communicating with the inkreservoir 3. A pen nib 8 isfrictionally fitted between the ink feed bar and the wall of the opening5.

The pen is provided with a cover 9 having a clip It for supporting thepen in the pocket of the user. A lever I l is hinged to the barrelmidway its ends for pumping the sac- 4 in theusual manner.

The pen nib 8 is formed of relatively inexpensive and hard or stillmaterial, for example, inherently resilient stainless steel and includesa writing end portion |2 having converging concave side edges l3, acentral longitudinal slit l4 terminating in an opening I5, and the usualwriting ball tip I6 at the meeting point of said side edges H5. The nibhas a substantially flat or planar portion ll extending along a centrallongitudinal zone between its side edges from the writing tip I5 to theheel l3, and curved side portions l9 extend outwardly from the planarportion H. In forming this fiat portion ll, there is a minimum oftendency to harden or stiffen the stainless steel so that the point ortip is flexible and resilient. As shown, the fiat portion IT ispreferably somewhat wider than the ink feed channel 1, and at thejunctures of the fiat portion with the curved edge portions i9, the nibis rounded as indicated at 2!], and preferably the nib is ofapproximately uniform thickness. With this construction, the pen nib issufficiently flexible transversely so that it will properly conform tothe feed bar 6 and the wall of the opening 5 in the tubular pen section2. Furthermore, the flat portion ll provides a uniform and positivecontact with the edges of the ink feed channel 1 throughout the lengthof said flat portion when the nib is mounted in a fountain pen.

In accordance with the present invention, an elongated tubular case orhousing 2| of sheet metal is mounted on the top surface of the nib 8along its central flat portion H. The housing has flat top and bottomwalls 22 and 23, respectively, as viewed in Figures 3 and and roundedside walls 24. The bottom wall 23 is formed with a flat extension 25, atone end, serving as an attaching lug which is soldered or welded orotherwise suitably fastened to the fiat portion I! of the nib adjacentits inner end. The remainder of the housing is unattached so that itresiliently engages the flat portion of the nib on opposite sides of theslit i l. The other end of the bottom wall is formed with a slit 26terminating at its inner end in an enlarged opening 2'1. The opening 21and the slit 26 of the bottom wall 23 are in alignment with the openingl5 and slit M of the nib 8.

A sponge 28 of cellulosic material or other ink absorbing material isfitted in the housing 2| and extends from its inner end to substantiallythe outer end thereof leaving a small space at the outer end which isplugged as indicated at 29, with any suitable material which does notabsorb ink. A. fiat guide bar 38 of sheet metal is loosely positioned inthe channel '2 of the feed bar 6 and disposed in parallel and contactingrelation with the inner surface of the nib. The bar is formed with anupwardly slanting portion 3 i, as viewed in Figure 3, extending throughthe aligned openings 2'5 and 55 of the housing and nib, respectively,into the housing 2| where it continues forwardly toward the tip of thenib into an integral horizontal portion 32 underneath the sponge 28.

During writing operations, the ink from the sac t fiows through thechannel l in the feed bar 6 to the guide bar where it is checked andguided through the aligned openings i5 and 2'! in the nib 8 and housing2|, respectively, and into the interior of the housing where it isabsorbed by the sponge 28. The flat portion I? of the nib flexes freelyfrom the writing tip it rearwardly to approximately the juncture of thelongitudinal margins of the flat portion with the concave side edges I3.The ink however is fed from the sponge by the weight of the ink itselfthrough the slit 26 in the housing 2| and flows along the flat portionI! of the nib to the writing tip. The housing 2| yieldingly holds theportions of the writing end portion l2 at opposite sides of the slit l4substantially in the same fiat plane thereby eliminating scratching ofthe tip on the writing surface.

A supply of ink lies dormant in the sponge, and when the fountain pen isput in upright position in the pocket of the user, the sponge retainsits full capacity of ink so that by merely tilting the pen to writingposition on the writing surface, the ink is made available and ready forinstant use as and when needed, and it is not necessary to wait untilthe ink flows from the main reservoir or sac by gravity or by capillaryaction. The sponge traps and checks the air pressure and air bubbles andeliminates any vacuum, as well as absorbs any excess flow of ink so thata smooth, steady, even line of Writing results.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A fountain pen comprising a barrel having a main ink reservoir and anopen end, a tubular section in said open end, a feed bar in said tubularsection extending outwardly thereof, said feed bar having a longitudinalgroove in its surface communicating with said main ink reservoir, a nibclamped between the feed bar and the tubular section, said nib having anopening and a communicating slit, a tubular housing on said nib havingan opening in its wall portion and a communicating slit, said latteropening and slit being in alignment with the opening and slit in thenib, a cellulosic sponge in the housing, and. a bar in said groove andextending through the aligned openings in the nib and housing forguiding ink from the reservoir to the sponge.

2. A pen nib having converging side edges adjaoent one end meeting in awriting tip and also including a flat central longitudinal portionextending from said writing tip to the other end, there beingtransversely curved longitudinal edge portions extending outwardly fromopposite longitudinal margins of said fiat portion and fromsubstantially the juncture of said converging side edges with saidlongitudinal margins of said flat portions toward the other end of thenib, said flat portion having an opening at a point intermediate itslength and a slit extending longitudinally centrally thereof from saidopening through said writing tip, a tubular housing secured at one endto said flat central portion, said housing having an opening in its bodyportion and a slit communicating with said opening, said latter openingand slit being in alignment with the opening and slit in said nib, inkabsorbing material in said housing, and a bar carried by the nib andextending through the aligned openings in the nib and housing forguiding ink to the material in the housing.

3. A pen having converging side edges adjacent one end meeting in awriting tip and also including a fiat central longitudinal portionextending from said writing tip to the other end, there beingtransversely curved longitudinal edge portions extending outwardly fromopposite lon- 5 gitudinal margins of said flat portion and fromsubstantially the juncture of said converging side edges with saidlongitudinal margins of said flat portions toward the other end of thenib, said flat portion having an opening at a point intermediate itslength and a slit extending longitudinally centrally thereof from saidopening through said writing tip, a tubular housing secured at one endto said flat central portion, said housing having an opening in its bodyportion and a slit communicating with said opening, said latter openingand slit being in alignment with the opening and slit in said nib, acellulosic sponge in said housing, and a bar carried by the nib andextending through the aligned openings in the nib and housing forguiding ink to the sponge in the housing, the other end of said housingresiliently pressing upon the writing ti of the nib at opposite sides ofthe slit in said 6 nib whereby ink will be led between said fiat portionand said housing and whereby the writing tip at opposite sides of theslit in the nib will be held in proper writing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 361,468 Taylor Apr. 19', 1887 1,199,401 Medlin Sept. 26, 19161,318,000 Thomas Oct. '7, 1919 1,629,483 Dellagala May 24, 19271,664,501 Benjamins Apr. 3, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date365,262 France Sept. 5, 1906 931,114 France Sept. 22, 1947

